Artcraft: Transmoggable Class Relics and Other Accessories

Artcraft: Class Accessories

Following the erroneously posted French version of the article, the English version has been added. You can read it below, and the translation remains further down.

Blizzard

Hi, I’m Chris Robinson, senior art director of World of Warcraft, and welcome to a special edition of Artcraft focused on an idea that’s still quite early in the inception phase: class accessories. For a long time now, we’ve felt that our character classes could use some more visual customization options, and we’ve heard you might be thinking the same thing. When I play WoW, I see Hunters pulling arrows from thin air, firing shot after shot with no visible clue as to where that ammo is coming from. I’ve heard Druids speak fondly of mystical objects called Idols, and listened to Shamans talk of Totems. And my Paladin seems to have developed a strange hitch in his gait due to the lack of a Libram at his side.

While some of those items once existed in-game as gear for the now-retired “Relic” slot, you’ve never been able to actually see those items on your character. We’ve been cooking up some concepts for how we might be able to bring that sort of class-specific visual customization back in the form of purely cosmetic class accessories—and while we’re not here to herald their imminent arrival, we thought it would be fun to give you a sneak peek at what we’re conceptualizing from an art perspective, and have our item-design guru Owen Landgren give you some insight into how they might work.

Before we show you the goods, keep in mind these are still way early in the design process, and getting them into the game will likely need to wait until after you’ve faced off against the Iron Horde. But this is something that’s been requested so frequently, we thought you might appreciate knowing we’re working to make it happen (eventually). So without further delay, here are a few concepts for you to take a look at!

As you can see, these concepts are all somewhat Alliance focused, at least for now. We’re thinking we’ll have Horde and Alliance color schemes for accessories whenever it makes sense. And while we’re planning on creating the “obvious” accessories for the classes that once had Relics, we have a lot of ideas for accessories we think would be awesome for all of the classes. Don’t let that stop you from sharing your own ideas with us, though!

Now that you’ve gotten a glimpse at what we’re working on in the art realm, here’s Owen to explain the designers’ early thinking on how these might be worked into the game:

“Back in ye olden days of Cataclysm and earlier, the Relic gear slot provided some classes with an additional item that would impart character stat bonuses. We always thought it would have been cool to show these Relics on your character, but aside from the generic quiver for Hunters wielding a bow, the artists just didn’t have time to do the concept justice. We were also faced with some unique design challenges, including questions about how much additional unique artwork would have been required for each new tier of raid and PvP gear. However, once the Relic slot was retired and the visuals could be divorced from gearing mechanics, the idea of bringing these back as a character customization feature became something we talked about more and more.

Our goal with these class accessories is to offer players a whole new path to customizing the look of their character. While you might decide to wear the same armor as your friend, choosing different accessories allows you to communicate something extra about your character. As a Rogue, are you the swashbuckling buccaneer with daggers on a bandolier and stashed up every sleeve? Or are you the poisoner, carrying bubbling, smoking vials filled with terrible concoctions? Perhaps you’re the shadowy figure that lurks in the dark, replete with darts and throwing stars to fell your enemies from a distance? As you obtain new looks, you’ll be able to mix and match thematically—if a particular Hunter gear set looks better with a longbow and quiver than a blunderbuss and ammo pouch, the option is yours. Mix in Transmogrification, and the visual combinations are nearly endless.

“We envision that class accessories will be rewarded from a variety of accomplishments in World of Warcraft. These could be as simple as attaining a new level, or as monumental as conquering a vicious raid boss. We want each player to have access to multiple accessories, but have some rarer accessories that take more effort to obtain.” —Owen Landgren, Game Designer

Hey there—Chris again. As we mentioned, these are still just some early ideas and concepts, and we hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse behind the scenes. We know a lot of you are excited about the idea of having new ways to customize the look of your characters, and we look forward to sharing more as we continue to make progress. Thanks for reading!

Artcraft: Class Accessories -- French Translation

An Artcraft was posted this morning on the French World of Warcraft site, potentially in error, as it is not available in English and uses a placeholder image. We have translated this below - should you note translation errors, please let us know.

The article has since been removed from the French World of Warcraft site, but as we were working on translation we were able to capture an image from the page, which you can see to the right, to show its legitimacy. We don't doubt that an English version will appear later today, and when that is posted we will share it, but for now, you can read the translation below.

Key points:

At some point during or after the expansion, character accessories will be added

The designers are showing off accessories for characters which used to have Relics

Other classes will be getting something too

These Accessories will be transmoggable

Hello, this is Chris Robinson, Senior Artistic Director of World of Warcraft. In this new edition of Artcraft, we will discuss a project that is currently in the embryonic stage of development: class accessories. For a while now, we have thought our character classes lacked customization options for their appearance and the players seem to share this view with us. WoW Hunters let fly arrows that appear out of invisible quivers. Druids speak passionately of mystical objects they call idols , shamans evoke mysterious totems and my Paladin seems to sorely miss his librams.

When, at one point, objects in the Relic slot disappeared, nobody ever noticed this on their characters. We recently reflected on different ways to reintroduce this type of visual class customization to the game with purely cosmetic accessories. And although they will not appear in the game for some time, we've decided to give you an overview of our preliminary artistic concepts and asked Owen Landgren , our item design guru, tell you a little more about how they'll work.

Before I show you the results of our work , we want to emphasize that this is only an initial concept and you will probably not be able to get these accessories in the game until you have faced the Iron Horde. This article is simply to inform you that we are already underway with the development of this feature, which we know is dear to your hearts! So, without further ado, feast your eyes on some of our concepts!

As you can see, there are currently only accessories for the Alliance. We intend to differentiate later by assigning the colors of the Horde or Alliance to items if we deem necessary. Moreover, if we are to create specific accessories for classes which previously used relics, we have equally big plans for all classes. That said, do not hesitate to give us your ideas and suggestions!

After this brief overview of the artistic concepts under development, Owen will explain how the design team plans to integrate the items into the game:

"During Cataclysm and even before, the relic slot gave some classes an extra item, and the accompanying bonus stats. And even then we thought it would be really great if these relics could be seen on the character. Unfortunately , apart from the conventional quiver for hunters wielding bows, the artistic team has never had the opportunity to examine the concept further. We were also faced with unusual challenges in terms of design , especially regarding the amount of visual customization required for each piece of raid or PvP equipment. But, when the relic slot was removed and could be dissociated from equipment visual mechanics, we started to talk again about the possibility of reintroducing them into the game, as part of appearance customization.

These class accessories aim to provide players with a whole new way to customize the look of their character. For example, even if you decide to wear the same armor as your friend, you will be able to choose different accessories to make your character stand out in the group. Are you one of those buccaneer rogues who wears their daggers on a belt, or hidden in their sleeves ? Or a poisoner who never travels without his vials filled with deadly potions steaming and bubbling ? Perhaps this is you: the mysterious figure lurking in the shadows , armed with darts and throwing stars , ready to defeat the enemy from a distance? Each new look will allow you to create your own thematic combination; if you feel the long bow and quiver better suits your hunter visually than a blunderbuss and a pouch, you are free to interchange . Add Transmogrification and the visual combinations are almost endless.

"We would like class accessories to reward players for their feats in World of Warcraft , either for simply gaining a level, completing a major challenge , or defeating a formidable raid boss. Players will have access to a wide range of accessories , but some rare items will require a special effort to obtain them. " Owen Landgren , Game Designer

Chris here , to conclude. Again, this is all ideas and preliminary concepts, but we nevertheless hope that you enjoyed discovering . We know that many of you are eagerly awaiting the ability to further customize your characters and we will continue to share our progress. Thank you for your attention!

You can follow Chris Robinson and Owen Landgren , and World of Warcraft Game Director Tom Chilton on Twitter.

Comments

Comment by BestFluttershy

It's wonderful! I want get me a big grimuar with demon wings or with skull for my warlock :)

Comment by Shaith86

on Tue, 20 May 2014 14:23:17 -0500

Can't really do much here with warriors.

Comment by crescentmoon2967

on Tue, 20 May 2014 15:09:39 -0500

This is exciting!

Comment by 1narache1

on Tue, 20 May 2014 15:49:01 -0500

Will these be out on Warlords of dreanor?

Comment by keltarking

on Tue, 20 May 2014 16:14:17 -0500

"... you’ve never been able to actually see those items on your character."

Not 100% true. I remember my hunter making quivers years ago, and they'd show up on his back.

Comment by reeessi

on Tue, 20 May 2014 16:27:09 -0500

I like where they're going with this.

Comment by Dbase

on Tue, 20 May 2014 16:33:02 -0500

Class Accessories: Approved.

Comment by Rankkor

on Tue, 20 May 2014 16:45:00 -0500

"... you’ve never been able to actually see those items on your character."

Not 100% true. I remember my hunter making quivers years ago, and they'd show up on his back.

I think they meant the other accessories. Librams, Sigils, Totems, Idols, etc.

With the small exception of some offhand items that have the form of librams, none of the above have ever been truly visible. Even then, as a paladin if you have a libram equipped in your offhand it means you're a caster, which also means that thing is sheathed and thus invisible every time you're in combat.

Comment by damonick

ah, this im looking forward to! i think this would be a really great idea to bring into the game. cant wait to see how it turns out!

Comment by syxkees

on Tue, 20 May 2014 23:02:36 -0500

Make these crafted vanity items, with recipes ranging from easy to obtain mats for mundane looking models to rare mats for insanely awesome looking models. Here are some off the cuff ideas, the items are listed with the professions that would want them but not necessarily the professions that would craft them. BOE can be equipped by any character, BOP could mean "requires ______" instead.

Fishing already has a bunch of fun vanity items, it doesn't need more.

Comment by Vitharn

on Tue, 20 May 2014 23:55:03 -0500

I believe a good cosmetic could be a battle standard that goes on your back, sort of like the argent grunting pet or the horde blademasters. They can even make it to where your reputation with the factions races decide which flag you can display.

Mages could have a familiar that gets more complex or a a spellbook that gets thicker the higher the level.

Comment by Laran

on Wed, 21 May 2014 01:30:06 -0500

Great idea! Next on to-do must be coloring your armor/weapon.

Comment by Enderverse

on Wed, 21 May 2014 02:36:52 -0500

LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIBRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMS!The Light is with us!

Comment by regma

on Wed, 21 May 2014 02:38:57 -0500

Nice. Having my hunter pull an arrow from behind him like a cartoon character is a but funny. (kept waiting for him to pull a kitchen sink)

Comment by Fharamir

on Wed, 21 May 2014 03:24:10 -0500

This will probably give a lot of increase in the game quality.I think that these little details are the really difference between a good game and a great game.

Comment by ken2445

on Wed, 21 May 2014 05:16:06 -0500

The fact that this is STILL in the concept stage or drawing board stage does not bode well for blizzard. Time to get off your ass and get this done guys.

Comment by Adamsm

on Wed, 21 May 2014 05:20:04 -0500

The fact that this is STILL in the concept stage or drawing board stage does not bode well for blizzard. Time to get off your ass and get this done guys.

Um...what? The expac isn't even in Beta yet, how is this a bad thing?

Comment by Koleso

on Wed, 21 May 2014 05:28:39 -0500

Yeah and as a purely cosmetic customization, it will be purchasable with money I bet.